Smile Proud
by Shadow 3013
Summary: Major AU. This story starts out as just the G-boys being amateur authors, but there will be an actual plot later on. I promise. This story contains shonen-aiyaoislash. 2X1, 1X2, 4X3, 13X5X6
1. Warnings and Disclaimers

Please Note: As of December 19, 2004, I'll be editing this piece, and perhaps even updating it. 

Also: This is major AU. It's romantic fluff, meant to be read strictly for entertainment, and not meant to be loyal to the series. I realize that style isn't everyone's cup of tea; if it isn't yours, just move on to another fic.

--------------------------------------------

Okay. I'll say this as many times as necessary: Gundam Wing and its characters do not belong to me. There, I admit it. I'm just playing with them, please don't sue. I have nothing, don't take even that away from me.

This was inspired when I read the fic Fire Mated by Snow Tigra (check it out, it's on my fav. stories list, and is a great fic), because one of the boys is a writer. That's the only way the two are the same... But still! Oh. And the title of the series, though it seems random... Is just that. My friend wrote a message saying Smile Proud, and a big smiley face, on the top right corner of the page I was writing the first page of this story on. She didn't even know I was doing a story. But I like it, and so the title of this fic is Smile Proud. So there.

This is a definite AU. There aren't any real Gundams. No war. They're just here in modern times on Earth, in America. They don't speak Japanese, except Heero. So I'll try not to overuse and show off my meager otaku vocabulary.

One final warning: homo- and bi-sexuality run rampant in this series. Especially in latter parts. Not your slice of cake? Don't read. Don't flame me; I've warned you.

That's all I can think of, other than that I live for feedback, and I'll try to update as often as I finish parts. If you like this fic, check out my other GW stuff (I also write HP fics).

Now, on to the story. Enjoy!

Okay. BTW... Thanks to Shimegami for reviewing and being so nice. And she's great to talk to! That's why she's in the fourth part. Ask and ye shall receive... Heh heh... Hope I didn't write ya out of character, chica!


	2. Part One

Duo slammed his fist down, shaking the table of the booth with the force of the blow.

"Writer's block again?" Trowa asked, his one visible eye focusing on the braided boy sitting across from him.

"You know it, man." Duo crossed his amethyst eyes and stuck out his tongue. "It may not hit often, but when it does… Well. You know how it is, right?"

Trowa nodded. He knew just how Duo got when he had writer's block. At random intervals he was depressed one moment, insanely happy the next, and desperate all in between. Then there were those stretches of silence, which never failed to disturb, at least to some extent, everyone that knew Duo.

"Hello Duo," said a new voice. A blonde boy in a flowing, puffy-sleeved pale pink shirt stood at the edge of the booth. He smiled warmly, his aqua blue eyes sparkling merrily, and sat down next to Trowa.

"Hey, Q-man." Duo replied, knowing he hadn't really been heard. His greeting was being greatly overshadowed by the long, tender kiss the short blonde was receiving from green-eyed Trowa.

"Well," Duo began with a grin. "I would ask how you're doing, but after getting a 'hello' like that, I doubt you could be anything but good!" All three boys laughed, though Trowa's was more a quiet chuckle, and Quatre turned bright red.

"Duo has writer's block again," Trowa informed his boyfriend. Quatre frowned cutely.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Duo! Here, maybe I can help you get over it. Just a moment…"

"Oh, oh! Do I get a free make-out session with Trowa?"

"No!" Quatre exclaimed, his face twisted into an expression of mock horror.

"With you?"

Trowa glared at him, making his disapproval of the idea quite obvious.

"Okay, 'no go' there too… With both of you, then?" The other two boys just laughed and shook their heads; Duo pouted. "Fine. I see how you are. Don't even care about the fact that I'm emotionally damaged…"

Quatre interrupted his friend's little tirade with one upheld hand. "You know, Duo, I was going to get you some French silk pie, a large raspberry mocha cappuccino, and a banana split, but since I don't care anymore…"

"I take it back, I take it back! You love me, I love you, happiness all around… So where's the chocolate?"

Laughing, Quatre waved a waitress over to their table and placed the promised order, as well as getting a Coke, for each of them. He sighed happily and snuggled a little closer to Trowa, enjoying the feeling of the other young man's favorite green sweater.

"Woah!" exclaimed Duo after a few moments. He was seated facing the front door of the café, and that was where his gaze was focused. Trowa and Quatre both looked at him curiously.

"What is it?" Quatre asked.

"Gorgeous young Asian approaching… Must stay calm… Must… Oh, forget it. Hold me back, boys, hold me back!"

"Duo, what on Earth are you-"

"Shh! Look. Over there. The one walking up to the counter to order."

Quatre and Trowa glanced casually over towards where Duo was blatantly staring. Standing at the front counter was a young Asian man of their own age, probably eighteen or so.

"See?" Duo asked in a soft whisper. "What'd I tell you?"

Trowa shrugged slightly. "I suppose he looks good, but I prefer blondes."

Quatre blushed but smiled. "Why don't you go talk to him, Duo?"

Duo grinned broadly. "Hey, I should, shouldn't I? Neither of you touch my food, okay? Screw standard store policies. I say you touch, you die!" His friends laughed as they watched him saunter towards his target.

"This should be… interesting," Trowa commented, smiling slightly. Quatre giggled and nodded his agreement. 


	3. Part Two

"Hey," Duo began, leaning against the counter nonchalantly. "Name's Duo Maxwell. What's yours?"

The Asian boy just glared at him. "Hn."

"Okay, whatever… You're the shy type, huh? I can handle that. Anyways, my friends and I are sitting over there." He pointed to where Trowa and Quatre were seated. "You can come hang with us if you want."

The dark haired young man made no response, simply smoothing out a wrinkle in the olive green T-shirt he was wearing. His order, a cup of jasmine tea and a large mug of steaming vegetable soup, arrived at the counter. He paid for his meal and headed towards a table for two in one corner without looking back.

Duo sighed, shrugged, and went back to the booth where his friends were waiting for him. He made a face as he sat down.

"No luck, I see," Trowa observed dryly, smirking. Duo kicked him under the table and Quatre cast each of them a disapproving look.

"Shut up. He's just shy. Besides, with one that cute, there's no way I'm giving up yet!"

"But Duo," Quatre began hesitantly, frowning a little. "We've never seen him around here before… What if he's from out of town?"

"He might be, but then again he might be new in town. Or he's only just heard about this place; you know that Sally and Noin have only recently started advertising."

"That's because I've only just managed to convince Noin that we need said advertising," commented a blonde woman, walking up to their booth. She was in her early twenties, and an amused smile graced her pale pink lips.

"Hi Sally!" chorused the three friends, grinning at the woman they'd just been talking about.

"I thought that Noin was going to run G-Alloy by herself today, and let you take the day off?" Quatre said, looking rather puzzled.

"Thank you, Quatre. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who remembers that."

"I'm guessing that Noin herself doesn't remember?" Duo put forth.

Sally nodded. "One of her famous moments of random short-term memory loss. Anyways, there's a sale at the mall. 'The biggest sale of the year: twenty-five percent off all clothes, ten percent off shoes, and five percent off fashion accessories.' That's in all stores applicable. You know how Noin gets at the prospect of a really good sale; she just couldn't resist. She asked first, though, and she looked so cute that I just couldn't resist." Here she stopped and looked Trowa straight in the eyes. "I'm sure that you, at least, know how it is, right, Tro?" He nodded while Quatre turned his head away and grinned.

"Now, for why I really came over here…" Sally slid into the booth, sitting down next to Duo. "You're interested in that Japanese boy, I see."

Duo blinked. "Yeah… He's Japanese? That's cool. I just knew for sure that he's Asian." He paused for a moment, thinking. "I wonder if he likes anime?"

Sally smiled briefly, then scowled. "Don't change the subject, Duo. This is important."

"Me liking a guy is important?"

"Yes. No. Well… That's a part of it, at least. I'm going to make you an offer. A deal."

The chestnut haired young man leaned forward, letting Sally know he was interested and listening. "Okay. Shoot." he said.

"I propose that you wait a few days to make another move. After all, he may never show up again, and I don't want you overly disappointed. But if he does… I have a plan that will enable you to talk with him frequently without raising his suspicions."

"What's that?"

"I can hire you as a waiter here," Sally offered. "It's a mutually beneficial plan. We're quite understaffed, as you're all aware, and you can help remedy that problem. You'd get the chance talk to him, maybe to learn his likes and dislikes, or some of his opinions, perhaps. And, of course, you'd get paid in the process. Just think of all the things that you could buy with pocket money of your own…"

Duo's face lit up and he grinned broadly. "Throw in free coffee, and you've got a deal!" he exclaimed. Just then, his order finally arrived, and he eagerly began to devour the treats.

Sally's eyebrows shot up as she watched the younger man bolt down he food, obviously relishing every bite. "We'd have to set some limits on the free coffee part, but that seems acceptable. Should I check back with you in a few days?"

"No need, my mind's already made up. Being a waiter here sounds good. Even if the guy doesn't work out, I could still use a job, especially working with people I like."

"Great! I'll be going, then. See you three tomorrow! And Duo, you don't start work until next Friday, so enjoy your freedom while it lasts!"

Duo nodded, then focused his gaze on the Japanese beauty in the corner. He didn't hear much of what Trowa and Quatre said after Sally's departure, but they understood.

Author's Note: I'm not very happy with this chapter. I kept trying to fix it, but to no avail. I might change it later, but until then… Forgive me for the semi-suckiness. It wouldn't agree to be written any other way! 


	4. Part Three

The next day found Duo alone in the café, idly drawing little swords and scythes on a paper napkin with "G-Alloy" printed across it. Trowa and Quatre were out on a date and there weren't any poetry readings scheduled, so he was just waiting for Sally, Noin, or the Japanese boy to arrive. Sally had given him the key to the building and had stayed home with Noin for the morning. Although he wasn't officially an employee yet, Sally insisted that an early dose of a little responsibility could'nt hurt him. The only person in the building besides Duo was the young man at the counter, and he was both horribly shy and horribly straight.

Thirty minutes passed, and Duo went from being slightly bored to incredibly, horribly, out-of-his-mind bored… and he still had writer's block. It just wasn't his day.

Sighing loudly, the young man began swinging his long braid around, hitting himself, the table, and everything else in reach. His gaze drifted towards the front window of the café, then focused on a person heading up to the front door.

Duo blinked once, twice, then grinned. His luck was finally taking a turn for the better. The Japanese boy was walking in, striding quickly over to the front counter.

"Jasmine tea and a club sandwich," the dark haired young man ordered. He handed the cashier his money and waited, eyes glancing quickly around the room.

"Hmm… To observe, or pounce… That is the question. I guess that observing would be useful, but actively pursuing is so much more fun!" Duo mused to himself silently, pursing his lips and looking deep in thought.

It turned out that he didn't have to make that decision after all. As soon as he got his order, the young Japanese man walked over to his table and sat down across from him.

"Hey! Decided to give in and sit with me after all, huh? How come ya didn't take me up on my offer yesterday?"

"… you had people with you." Duo noticed the Japanese boy's accent immediately. It was a moderate accent, and didn't make him difficult to understand. Duo found it incredibly cute, actually.

"Oh. Man, you really are the shy! I was just teasing!"

"Hn."

"Quiet too, huh. Hey, what's your name, anyways?"

The Japanese boy paused, staying silent for several long moments as he chewed a bite of his sandwich. "Yuy Heero," he finally replied.

"Yuy? What type of a name is that?"

"My last name," he said flatly. Duo blushed; he'd forgotten that some Asians introduced themselves surname first.

"Sorry, I forgot about that. Hi, Heero! I can call you Heero, right? Or do you prefer Yuy?"

Heero blinked, then shrugged ever so slightly. "You may call me whichever you prefer."

"Hmm… Okay, Heero." He grinned across the table at his new companion, and noticed for the first time that he had gorgeous cobalt blue eyes.

"You're staring." Heero observed coolly after a while, calmly taking a sip of his tea. He didn't look particularly bothered by that, but then again, he wasn't showing much expression at all.

"Sorry. Has anyone told you before that you have really pretty eyes?"

Heero raised one eyebrow, letting his surprise show some. "… Aah." he said finally, then took another bite of his sandwich.

"Dude, that was a compliment. A good thing. You're supposed to say thank you, or maybe tell me to get lost, but don't just sit there," Duo teased. He was nervous, and if he didn't get some positive feedback he'd start babbling even more than usual.

"Hn."

"Fine." Duo sighed, rolling his eyes. "I thought Asians were taught to be polite, but I guess you're an exception. I'll take it upon myself to teach you, though, so you'll be fine."

"…"

"Hey now, that's no good! What do you say when someone offers to do something nice for you?"

"…"

"I'll help you. T-H-"

"… Thank you."

A wide grin appeared on the chestnut-haired young man's face. "See? So far, so good. I'm sure we'll get along just fine!" 


	5. Part Four

Three days passed, during which Duo found out that Heero was, indeed, new to town. After making that particular little discovery Duo proceeded to give his new acquaintance a whirlwind tour of all the best places to hang out, eat, and shop.

"C'mon, I'll treat you to a snack before I take you to our last stop," Duo said, heading into the G-Alloy Café. Heero followed him slowly, the slight expression on his face something between annoyed and amused.

"Thank you," Heero said under his breath as they reached the counter. Duo smiled and nodded.

"Jasmine tea and what else?"

Heero just shrugged. Duo scowled and glared at his dining companion. One of Heero's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Angel food cake." he said finally.

"You're weird, man, but okay. Whatever floats your boat, I say."

"Hn."

The cashier emerged from the kitchen after a few seconds; Duo smiled charmingly at her before placing Heero's order as well as his own request of coffee and chocolate pie.

The sound of laughter filled the café as Duo bounced over to a table, Heero scowling as he followed him with their food and drinks. Duo whipped around at the sound of the laughter, looking for its source.

"Shime!" he exclaimed, looking with surprise at a girl a bit younger than him seated alone in a nearby booth. She had short red-brown hair, much the same color as well polished cherrywood, and eyes of two different colors: one dark brown, the other dark green. "Hey, you lost a contact."

"Oh, heya Duo. Didn't know if you were going to get around to noticing me. Really? I'm missing one? Thanks for telling me."

Duo heard someone walking quietly up behind him, and grew quickly suspicious as the young woman's eyes widened slightly. He ignored the reaction; it was probably just Heero, looking as intimidating as usual.

"So," the chestnut-haired young man began, tapping his foot and tilting his head to one side. "Tell me, what's so funny?"

"You and your new boyfriend. What with his scowling and glaring, and your bouncing around, grinning your head off… It's hilarious!"

Duo looked confused for a moment. "Boyfriend? Who are you… oh." He turned around to look at Heero, and was surprised to find him staring, a tiny frown on his face. He'd never seen him show so much emotion before.

"Boyfriend?" Heero blinked, staring over Duo's shoulders at the girl.

"…Ooh. So, you're not going out?"

"No," they said in unison. Shime stood up.

"Well, good luck then, Duo. I'm sure you'll nab him eventually," she whispered into his hear. Before either boy could say anything else, she darted out the front door, yelling over her shoulder, "Thanks for paying for my food, babe!"

Duo froze for a split second, then bolted after her. "Jacqueline! Get back here, you-"

Before he got out of the building, he was stopped and dragged back to the table by Heero. "I'll pay for her," Heero said, shoving Duo down into his chair. He walked up to the counter to give the cashier the money.

"Hmm…" Duo thought to himself. "She's usually really good at guessing who I like, and I'm probably drooling all over the place… But why'd she think we're going out? Does Heero seem gay? I mean, just because a guy hangs out at a café geared towards writers, artists and actors doesn't necessarily mean that he's not straight! There're probably some guys here that aren't gay or bi… I've yet to find one other than the cashier, but still…" Somewhere amidst all the babbling in Duo's head, he decided to watch Heero and see if there were really any hints of his liking him. "Maybe she's just being a psycho again and trying to pair up every cute guy she sees with another cute guy. After all, Heero and I definitely both fit the whole 'cute' part…"

It was at about that point when Heero came back and sat down at the table. From then on Duo was so busy talking with, or at least at, Heero that the only other thought he paid the matter was that he would have to ask Trowa and Quatre what their opinions on the issue were. 


	6. Part Five

The next day, Tuesday, went by a bit differently. Heero had other business to attend to during the day, so Duo was left without a not-so-strict, self-planned schedule to go by. Grinning and humming to himself, he set off to find Trowa and Quatre.

The first place he checked was Quatre's mansion, a place where the three of them hung out quite often. One of Quatre's numerous sisters answered the door and informed him that her brother had gone out earlier, so he thanked her and left to continue his search.

"If I were Trowa or Quatre, where would I be?" he mused to himself, cruising through town in his black and blood red Jeep. He had no destination in mind as he drove aimlessly about, looking for his friends, or at least something interesting to do.

After a few fruitless minutes of roaming, Duo slowed down as a random person caught his attention. Walking down the street was an obviously Chinese young man of his own age. His hair was dark and pulled back into a ponytail, and his odd outfit was eye-catching. The navy blue and silver looked stunning on him.

"Man!" Duo exclaimed to himself, stopping at the corner and taking a few moments to take a closer look at the young man. "This town is being overrun by Asian babes… I must be in Heaven!" The Chinese boy stopped outside of a little shop with Asian caricatures on the sign, and was soon joined by a girl of similar and equally striking features.

"Yeah… Definitely so… I wonder if they're going out? Or maybe they're related; they look a lot alike, after all…" He shrugged and drove off to continue his search.

A half-hour or so before lunch, Duo entered the local mall to grab a bite to eat. He was greeted by two familiar voices as he walked into a small pizza parlor near the mall's main entrance.

"Duo!" said one, the voice unmistakably that of Quatre.

"What took so long?" Trowa added, raising the eyebrow that wasn't hidden beneath his long bangs. He actually looked almost surprised, something Duo didn't see happen often.

"Actually, I looked everywhere for you, and this was the last place on my list." Duo replied, walking over to his friends' table, pulling up a chair, and sitting down. "So, what's up?"

"Would you like something to eat?" Quatre offered, putting the question aside for a moment.

Duo grinned. "You actually have to ask? Come on! I thought you knew me well enough by now to not have to ask anymore!"

Quatre grinned and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Duo. I guess I forgot who I was talking to for a moment," he apologized.

"Well, I'll forgive ya this time, but only 'cause you're rich and I need your money."

"Of course. Well, let's get your order placed, then we can get down to business."

"Sure thing." Duo walked to the counter and gave the cashier his order, paid for it with the money Quatre had handed him, and returned to the table to wait.

"So… How are things going with Heero?" Quatre asked him. 


End file.
